I am impressed to write you, I hold to the following of the Spirit.
If I have the pride or sensitiveness of man that does not enjoy a slight, & if caution whispers, still charity and honor have their voices & these ally to God more than fear.
In your last Dec. letterEditorial Note: See V00916. to Mrs. Swarts I noted that you seemed to feel that I would oppose you or try to injure your work. I then wanted to let you know that such motive never has being with me. I would then have given my views on all the cause but thought that you could not receive them as I see it all. I do not now think that you see me as led of Good. Intelligence. & hence I must not name the details that led me in the fall of 1884As Written:84 to start the work here as I did for you may have been so busy that you did not then & may not yet know the points that the promptness of my nature took exception to. I need not name them lest As Written: least I seem to reflect wrongly. I lay up no feelings & my strongest judgment goes for you as for one led of God. Evolution. to do the grand work you have done. I see the divine order of it all. even the title Christian Science to start the work. I am not blinded to any of the ways you have been led. Of course I see with the many that a new system, even science or the seventh sealRev 8:1 And when he had opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour. Rev 8:2 And I saw the seven angels which stood before God; and to them were given seven trumpets. Rev 8:3 And another angel came and stood at the altar, having a golden censer; and there was given unto him much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne. Rev 8:4 And the smoke of the incense, which came with the prayers of the saints, ascended up before God out of the angel’s hand. Rev 8:5 And the angel took the censer, and filled it with fire of the altar, and cast it into the earth: and there were voices, and thunderings, and lightnings, and an earthquake. Rev 8:6 And the seven angels which had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound. Rev 16:1 And I heard a great voice out of the temple saying to the seven angels, Go your ways, and pour out the vials of the wrath of God upon the earth. is opening to be, under God, far in advance of the Christian civilism & hence I regret to see a failing adjective associated with ScienceEditorial Note: Christian Science the permanent. In the title I am not with you, but it will be a long time before the work you have done will go down. I say never & even if you may feel that my recent attitude or being is not fully with you, it is nevertheless on all the vital points.
Let me tell you Mrs E. in honor that I never for a moment requested or desired Mrs. Plunkett to interfere with you. She ceased to hold my good wife's respect & tried to override her rights in several ways. but I clung to right. to justice, to principle in wife & refused to continue Mrs P. or any other woman on my board of Directors, so I changed the base to a stock companyAs Written:co. to start anew & with men only as directors. Because she could not lead me & because I dropped her name & would not sell her 1/4 interest in my JournalEditorial Note: Mind-Cure Journal & take her as assistantAs Written:asst. EditorAs Written:Ed. I sinned in her eye, so that she started her CollegeEditorial Note: Along with another one Mary Baker Eddy's students, Emma Curtis Hopkins, Plunkett established the Emma Curtis Hopkins College of Christian Science in Chicago, Illinois, in August 1886. & paperEditorial Note: Truth: A Magazine of Christian Science- neither of which will ever amount to much.
There was no trouble between Mrs Hopkins & me. I regard her a nice lady. but she did not prove able to draw any students from the east & she was not therefore worth what I was paying her $150-Editorial Note: $150.00 in 1886 is the equivalent of $4,670.04 in 2022. a monthAs Written:mo. She & Mrs P. seemed to tie up together & want to be with each other so she went to DetroitEditorial Note: Detroit, Michigan. Soon they were cutting a wide swath in Chicago at the ShermanEditorial Note: Bradford and Martha E. Sherman House as you no doubt heard. Now they are at Minneapolis MinnesotaAs Written:Minn. Well if they are determined to capture the nation in order to spite you & me. it won't As Written: wont hurt but will help, I shall still treat them well & toil on.
Of course very many write & wonder why the variance between the workers in this causeEditorial Note: The cause of Christian Science. & it often leads me to wonder if after all the Wisdom sees any proper way by which arrangements could be made to harmonize better. Perhaps not & yet if I knew that an invulnerable front could be so handled that Truth would be more glorified by some propositions I have had in mind that I would quite likely entertain I would be willing to make reasonable concessions as well as to ask them, but others must get at if anything is to be tried. I am in good shape now & a wonderful work is before all this movement. A great turning will soon be witnessed.
I have the frankness to be liberal where the CauseEditorial Note: The cause of Christian Science. only is to be served & hence have left the four titled offices in a [?] Unclear or illegible unfilled.
Well if we do seem to differ it is all of God & he will care for it. I know that many matters must annoy you & try you for all the strength you have, as we are thus tried daily till life's burdens are very heavy.
If you do not see why this letter, let me say. it is not to mislead or seek any advantage, but rather to let the deeper consideration & higher principles of my nature, send a fraternal word of greeting as opposing generals might do, or as lawyers- who oppose & yet are friendly. You are a woman & you have done much for woman& I hold to their being brought to the front & lead while I am led on for humanity & while it may be that I cannot cease, still I wanted to salute you & allow that other & good part of mind to show an appreciation of one who has stood in the ranks & received the smoke & scars of battle so long. Be very charitable and tolerant toward all. You & yours may not be able to see it & yet we honor you very highly, for how easy it is when we wish to see that all is good. I must keep my eye on this fact. Let all go on as we are led devotedly. Earnestly and charitably lead & if we cannot seem to harmonize still we need not be personal nor do so our hearts will condemn us. You said a real good remark in a calm moment of me before Mrs. H & others. & that lives, while if the reverse have come to me, it is quite easy to overlook. It must be so.
Mrs. Swarts is the marvel to all of us for she never allows you assailed but we must admit her true principles toward you & she has strong influence with very many & excellent people. I am kept by her from being too personal- Her nature, grieves almost to see the disturbed waters between the workers. You are held highly by her before her fine classes. Here I have allowed myself to be compromised almost & yet something moved me to write, even the deeper currents- We try not to believe all we hear that should have been said to our harm.